The Truth They All Know
by BadWolfeRose
Summary: In 1971, man crashed his blue box in Dana Scully's backyard. And in 1973, a mysterious blonde woman promised to help Fox Mulder find his sister, and gave him a message to remember. Their lives were forever changed by those events. When the Doctor and Rose finally reappear in their lives, what will become of them- and their enemies?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Wolf, The Girl, And The Blue Box

* * *

 **(A/N: This is a sort of rewrite of The Real Truth- I'm changing up the plot quite a bit, starting with how everyone met. You get to see that here, unlike in the original version. Also, the AM/PM times are approximate, as it isn't certain even when it comes to canonical show events what the exact time was- at least, not that I remember. Hope you like this introduction!)**

* * *

Annapolis, Maryland

May 7th, 1971

3:30 AM

 _Crash!_

That was the noise that roused Dana- the sudden loud thump in her backyard. She blinked open her eyes and sat up in bed slowly, carefully. Straining her ears, she listened for more sounds- footsteps, voices, anything to indicate a burglar. Or even her father- or maybe one of her siblings- getting up. When she did not hear any of those things, she pulled back the covers on her bed and tiptoed down the dark hallway.

Dana knew her house by heart, even in total darkness, so she made it to the back door with relatively no mishaps. She had to be careful to not wake up her parents or siblings. Apprehensively, she turned on the back porch light.

What she saw made absolutely no sense. A blue phone booth, tipped over on its side. Part of her wanted to go out and look at it, while the more sensible half of her told her to be careful. She placed her hand on the doorknob, but hesitated, her brow furrowing. Whatever it was, it could be dangerous. After a moment, though, her curiosity won out and she turned the knob.

The door creaked as she opened it, pushing it aside just enough for her to squeeze through. The moment she was outside, she spun around and closed the door with a soft click. Turning back around, she faced the capsized phone booth.

There were words engraved at the top. When Dana tilted her head to the side, she was able to decipher them. _Police Public Call Box_ , it said. She had read about those once- phone booths you could use to call for help. But how had one ended up in her backyard?

She tiptoed closer, her breaths shaky. When she was about a foot away, she stopped, reaching out with her hand. Her whole arm trembled as she brought it closer.

Dana was only a heartbeat away from touching the wooden box when its doors flew open and she reeled backwards, toppling over.

A man's head suddenly popped up, almost like a jack-in-the-box. Dana opened her mouth, ready to scream or cry out for help, when he whirled to the side and caught sight of her.

He had a mop of dark brown hair, which was currently soaking wet and stuck to his forehead. He was wearing what appeared to be a dress shirt and tie, ripped and frayed in several places. They were also soaked. His eyes were an odd greenish color, and they seemed to be alight with excitement.

Suddenly he grinned at her. "Oh. Hello," he said brightly. "Can you tell me where I am, miss?"

Dana's mouth fell open, but no words came out. She started to stammer, and her breathing grew heavy. "I...I..."

His eyes widened and took on a soft expression. He held out his hand, palm spread out. A sign of peace. "No, no, no, don't be frightened. I'm the Doctor. I wound up here by accident," he explained.

Dana's mind reeled at that. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, like why he didn't have a proper name or how his phone booth ended up in her yard, tipped over, or why he had that accent. Finally, though, she spoke the first coherent thing that came into her head.

"Why are you all wet?"

This "Doctor" smirked at her. "Well, I fell into the library, but, unfortunately for me, so did the swimming pool," he murmured, chuckling. "Never mind that. Would you be so kind as to tell me where I am?"

"You're in my backyard," she said, confused. Raised a brow at him. In turn, he beamed.

"Lovely. But, ah...where _is_ your backyard, exactly?"

Before she could answer, he grabbed onto the sides of the phone booth and hoisted himself up, tumbling out onto the grass. "That's better. Missed solid ground for a moment there. Now, where are we?"

Her eyes widened as she observed him, all skinny limbs and torn up clothes and a bright smile. Something about his presence was so intriguing to her that she was barely able to stammer out, "M-Maryland. Annapolis."

The Doctor grinned. "Capital city. Wonderful! Now-"

He sprung to his feet at such a speed that Dana's mouth fell open. He started walking towards her back door. "-I don't suppose there's any way you could- mmf!"

He let out a muffled cry of surprise when he walked smack into the tree closest to her house. He staggered backwards, before looking down at her with an embarrassed expression on his face. "Sorry about that. Early days, steering's a bit off." Clearing his throat, he turned his gaze back to the house. "I'm really hungry. Do you have an apple on hand, by any chance? I like apples."

Uncertainly, Dana trudged back to the house and opened the door slightly, pausing in front of it. "Do you wanna come in?"

The Doctor smiled at her. "That would be lovely. Although I seem to have forgotten my manners. What's your name, dear?"

"Dana," she murmured softly. "Dana Scully."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Dana Scully. Lovely name. How old are you?"

"Seven," she replied. "I'll be eight in February."

The Doctor grinned. "Really? Well, you seem very smart for your age. Are you...are you here by yourself?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

She shook her head. "No. Mom and Daddy and my brothers and sister are here. They're asleep, though. So if you come in, you have to be quiet."

Her parents had once told her to never let anyone in if she didn't know who they were, but she wasn't alone. She could call for help if she needed to. And something told her that he meant no harm. He just needed help. Something to eat.

He nodded, tapping his finger to his lips. Dana held the door open for him as he stepped into the house, then followed him. She locked the door behind her and shut off the porch light while he turned the kitchen light on. When she crept over to him, he smiled at her reassuringly.

"I'll be quick," the Doctor said in a whisper, snatching a green apple from the fruit bowl. When he bit into it, though, he spit it right back out.

"Yuck! Apples are rubbish. I hate apples."

Now that _really_ made no sense. "I thought you said you liked apples."

"New taste buds," he said nonchalantly. "Have you got any yogurt?"

He didn't enjoy _that_ either. "It's like eating after cleaning your teeth, everything tastes wrong!" the Doctor exclaimed in frustration, and Dana had to shush him frantically. He promptly apologized.

After a bit of trial and error- he didn't seem to want ice cream or an orange either, and he was sorely disappointed when she told him they were out of bananas- she microwaved some fish sticks, and he seemed to like those. "Fish fingers", he called them. Weird.

She was also able to get him a bit of custard that was sitting in the fridge- no one planned on eating it anyway.

But when he took a fish stick and dipped it into the custard, Dana gagged. "Gross!" she hissed, and he shook his head. "No, it's not. Fish fingers and custard- absolutely delicious. You should try it."

She flat-out refused to do so, instead opting to just watch him while he ate at her family's kitchen table. After a bit of silence, she started asking him questions.

"If you're a doctor, then why does your phone booth say 'Police' on it?"

He shrugged, smirking. "That's just my name; I'm not that kind of doctor. And the phone box is just an exterior. It's not _really_ a phone box."

"Phone _booth_ ," she corrected, and he shook his head.

"Right, I forgot, you're American. You wouldn't really call it a box, now would you?" he said, half to himself. Dana just smiled and shook her head. "How did you end up here?"

"I crash landed," he replied, manic grin shooting across his face. "The TARDIS was acting up."

Dana tilted her head in confusion. "The- what?"

The Doctor chuckled. "That's what she's called. The TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. She can travel through time as well as the stars." From the way he was grinning, it was clear he was proud of that. "She's bigger on the inside."

Dana narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't believe you."

He laughed softly, ran a hand through his hair. "Seems I've got a skeptic on my hands, hmm?" he said, smiling playfully at her. "Would you believe me if I told you I was an alien?"

She shook her head vigorously. "Nope. You don't look like an alien."

"How do you know what an alien looks like?" he argued, smirking as she thought that over. When she stayed silent, he said, "Tell you what- I'll prove it to you."

Leaning forward, he laid his arm out on the table and rolled up his sleeve. "Do you know how to take someone's pulse, Dana?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Daddy showed me how."

"Well, you can check mine, then." Dana raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't argue. She placed two fingers on his wrist, then frowned. Something wasn't right.

"Your pulse is funny," she declared, looking up at him. "It's too fast. And it doesn't feel right."

He smiled. "You sound like a doctor."

Dana looked very pleased at that remark. "I'm gonna be a doctor when I grow up," she murmured, grinning.

He nodded in understanding, then chuckled. "I don't doubt it. Now, let me show you something."

The Doctor took her small hand in his own, guiding it to the left side of his wrist, then the right. Her eyes widened, and he beamed at her. She stammered, "What...what's that?"

"Two heartbeats," he murmured. "I've got two hearts. Do you believe me now?"

Dana froze, stayed silent for a long moment. Then she nodded.

"Yeah. I guess so."

The questions started up again a moment later.

"What planet are you from?"

He sighed, and for a moment, Dana thought he looked sad. "My home planet was called Gallifrey. It was a lot bigger than Earth, too. And...well, it was very beautiful."

"Can you take me there? Are there other people like you?"

He sighed again and shook his head. "I wish I could, Dana Scully. But it's gone now. And even if it wasn't, I couldn't take you with me. You're too little. And your mum and dad would miss you. I'm sure your brothers and sisters would, too."

Dana wanted to argue, but then she saw that sadness again. He didn't want to talk about it anymore, that much she could tell. So she changed the subject.

"What happened to your clothes? Did they get messed up because you crashed?"

He shrugged. "More or less. What about it?"

She shrugged in an imitation of him. "I dunno. Just makes you look all..." She paused, brow creasing as she tried to find the right word to describe him. "Ragged. Raggedy." _Raggedy man_ , she thought to herself, laughing inwardly. _That's what I'll call him._

The Doctor grinned again. "Well, you're not wrong, I suppose. I...have a question for you, actually. What's the date?"

"May 7th," she replied. In turn, he asked, "And what year is it?" When she opened her mouth to question him, he explained, "Time travel, remember? That's flexible."

That satisfied her, so she answered, "1971."

The Doctor stood up then, still grinning. "Ah. Interesting year. Of course, I suppose all of them are." Then, he walked towards the back door. "I bet this'll be a great year for you, Dana," he murmured, his expression turning serious.

Once again, Dana noticed his eyes looked sad. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he whispered, "Well, I should probably go. Don't want to wake anyone up."

"But you just got here!" she protested, and he held up a hand to silence her.

"Remember how I said you were too young to go with me?" She nodded rapidly.

"Well, how about I come back when you're old enough? Then I'll take you anywhere you want. Any year in history, any star in the universe. What do you say?" He concluded this statement with a broad smile, and she nodded again.

"Yes please!" Dana said enthusiastically as she jumped up, still trying to keep her voice down. "Please let me come with you when I get bigger, Doctor!"

He chuckled softly. "Alright, alright. Now, I don't know exactly when it will be, but I promise you I'll come back. I promise."

Dana smiled. "I'll wait for you, then."

"Good. See you soon," he murmured, before slipping outside and shutting the door.

As Dana went to turn off the kitchen light and sneak back into bed, she heard an odd sound. A harsh wheezing and groaning- like the engine on her daddy's car when it died, but different.

After a few seconds, all became quiet, save for the chirps of crickets and the occasional call of an owl. "See you soon, Raggedy Man," she whispered to the stillness.

* * *

Martha's Vineyard (Massachusetts)

November 27th, 1973

8:30 PM

"Samantha! _Samantha_!"

She was...gone. His sister had vanished. Disappeared in a beam of light. And no matter how frantically he looked for her or how loudly he called her name, he couldn't find her.

Now, Fox Mulder was standing in his front yard, breathing heavily. The night air was searing cold, the sky black and nearly void of stars. Crickets chirped and owls let out soft hoots. The weight of what had just happened began to sink in, and he sank to his knees. Tears clouded his vision. He murmured her name once more, then shut his eyes.

He forced himself to breathe in and out. After he had drawn in and exhaled several shuddering breaths, he blinked his eyes back open. When he saw the figure in front of him, he let out a startled cry.

A tall blonde woman with amber eyes, giving him a worried look. She crouched down in front of him and held out her hand. "S'all right. 'M not gonna hurt you," she murmured, then gave him a tiny smile. "I'm harmless, I promise."

Fox stayed absolutely still, breathing heavily in panic while he studied her. She was wearing jeans, a deep pink hoodie, and black converse. Her blonde hair was clearly dyed and pulled back into a high ponytail. Large silver hoops dangled from her ears. All in all, she seemed normal. Except-

"-You just appeared," Fox blurted out. "Like you teleported or something."

The woman smiled softly at him. "You could say that. Where am I, exactly?"

"Martha's Vineyard," he said quickly. "Massachusetts. My front yard."

She chuckled. "Well, I didn't mean to frighten you." Then she extended her hand to him. "What's your name? I'm Rose."

"Fox," he replied, before carefully grabbing hold of the offered hand. "Fox Mulder."

She smiled at him. "Lovely to meet you, Fox. Now, could you-"

"-Can you help me?" he asked suddenly, before he could stop himself. "It's my sister, Samantha- she disappeared."

Rose nodded. "Of course. Did you see where she went?"

Fox shook his head rapidly. "This is gonna sound crazy, but...I think she was abducted."

Rose tilted her head in confusion. "Abducted? You mean like...kidnapped? Someone took her?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head again. "I think it was aliens. A UFO." When she gave him a shocked look, he started to protest. "The whole house started shaking, and there was this bright light. I tried to get my dad's gun, but I couldn't grab it in time. They just picked her up and took her. Please, you have to believe me!"

"I believe you," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "I believe you. I'll help you find your sister, Fox; I promise. But I need you to do something for me."

He nodded. "Anything. What do you need?"

"Can you tell me the date? Including the year?"

Even he knew that was a strange request, but Fox needed to get Samantha back, so he agreed. "Yeah. It's November 27th, 1973." Then he frowned and tilted his head to the side. "Did you hit your head or something?"

Rose shook her head. "'S complicated. Can we go inside? I might be able to find some clues in your house."

Fox nodded in agreement, standing up. "Come on," he instructed, leading her by the hand.

When they had crossed the threshold into the house, Rose started analyzing the mess. The upturned furniture, his father's pistol where it lay discarded on the floor, the cracked photographs that had fallen off of the walls. "Something definitely happened here," she murmured. "Oh, if only that idiot had given me my own sonic screwdriver," she said to herself, frustrated. Fox knew better than to ask.

Then she turned to look at Fox. "Where are your parents?"

"Next door," he replied, sighing. "Who _are_ you?"

She smiled. "I told you, I'm Rose. And I'll help you find Samantha. That's all that matters right now."

"But where did you come from?" he protested. "How did you just appear in my yard? And why didn't you know what year it is?" Then, he froze, his eyes widening. "Are you...are you a time traveler?"

Rose grinned. "Of a sort. Very perceptive of you, Fox." Suddenly, a soft beep sounded. Rose looked down at her wrist, rolling back her sleeve to reveal a small bracelet-like device. "Oh, dear," she murmured.

Sighing, she whispered, "Fox, I have to go. But I'll be back as soon as I can, I swear. And there are two things I need you to remember."

Too distracted by the urgency in her voice to argue, he nodded. "Okay. What are they?"

"First things first, my name. Rose Tyler." She paused. "Secondly, a message. A very ancient message with power behind it- if you know what it means, that is. Just two words. If you see them, you'll know I'm close." Rose cleared her throat before murmuring, "Bad Wolf. Remember that."

Suddenly, a loud pop could be heard, and Rose Tyler vanished- as if she were a ghost.

Fox blinked rapidly, hardly daring to try and understand everything that had taken place. And those words...they seemed familiar. Almost like deja vu.

He turned around and started walking towards the stairs, putting it out of his mind. All he knew for sure was that Samantha was gone.

As he climbed up towards his room, he noticed something carved into the railing. It had been there since they moved in, his mother had told him. He paused, ran his fingers over the scrawl. In a moment, it suddenly made sense. There were two words etched into the wood railing, that Fox now knew possessed power.

 _Bad Wolf_.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rescuer

* * *

Washington DC

August 7th, 1994

9:00 PM

Scully paced through her dimly lit apartment, cell phone pressed to her ear. In her free hand was a tiny glass vial, containing a metal implant. It had suddenly become all-important, a great mystery that needed solving. And she needed Mulder's help to solve it. Unfortunately, though, the dial tone rang and rang until it finally went to the answering machine.

" _This is Fox Mulder. Leave a message, please."_ Then a beep. Damn it. Sighing heavily, she began speaking.

"Mulder, it's me. I just had something...incredibly strange happen. This piece of metal that they took out of Duane Barry, it has some kind of a code on it. I ran it through a scanner and some kind of serial number came up." Scully paused, narrowing her eyes as she examined the chip. "What the hell _is_ this thing, Mulder? It's almost as if...as if somebody was using it to catalog him."

Suddenly, her head shot up as a loud bump emanated, followed by rustling. Someone was nearby.

And then light shone through the window, prompting Scully to examine the window. Phone still in hand, she crept closer.

When she saw the face of the man on the other side, she gasped.

Glass shattered and feet shuffled. Duane Barry's gruff voice somehow was picked up by the answering machine.

" _Come on, lady..."_

"Mulder!"

"COME ON!"

" _I need your help! Mulder! MULDER!"_

* * *

She heard Duane Barry kill a police officer. Much later, she heard him saying he was unstoppable, and what may have been maniacal laughter. She thinks she may have heard Mulder's voice, but that was probably her imagination.

From then on, time was but a blur. Darkness, blinding beams of light here and there, the sharp stab of what may have been needles. Scully hoped they were needles and nothing worse. Voices coming from odd shadowy figures saying things she couldn't understand. But it didn't sound like any foreign language she knew of.

She drifted in and out of consciousness. It could have been hours, days, weeks, months, or even years. Scully wouldn't have known. Sometimes she dreamed of old memories- the snake she had shot with her brothers, her father affectionately calling her "Starbuck". Mulder, her mother. And of course, _him_. Her imaginary friend, the man with the blue police box.

One day, everything shifted. She heard a harsh groaning sound, like a dying car engine. Then there was the yelling- a man, speaking English. He was calling out her name- her first name. His voice was vaguely familiar, too. Like a memory from a dream.

And then her world went black.

She saw his face again, looking down at her. Not smiling, the way he had been when she met him. He was concerned, but reassuring. And it felt like she was moving- maybe on a gurney. His voice echoed in her ears. "Don't worry, Dana Scully, I'm gonna get you out of here. I believe I have a promise to keep."

 _I must be dreaming again_ , she thought. And yet she had never seen him in a jacket or a bow tie.

* * *

Eventually, though, she woke. And there were no shadows or needles or dream figures. Just the harsh florescent light and stark white walls of a hospital room. There were tubes in her arm, but she knew them. A heart monitor beeped to the left of her. There was a slight pressure on her left palm, as if someone was squeezing her hand.

She blinked her eyes several times. Her vision blurred, doubled, spun, but eventually came into focus. In front of her, there was nothing but a blank wall. Where was she? A hospital, surely, but where? And how did she get there?

When Scully turned to her left, she began to doubt the reality of it all over again.

 _He_ was there at her side. _He_ was the one holding her hand. And he was no longer sopping wet or dressed in ragged clothes. His hair seemed to be naturally disheveled and fell just over his eyes. He wore a tweed jacket and a burgundy bow tie. But his eyes were the same- an odd sea-green color, with shadows swimming behind them. His face was grave, but relieved.

"Doctor," she tried to say, but all that came out was a ragged croak. He shook his head and leaned closer, almost frantic.

"No, no, don't try to talk." The Doctor sighed. "You're okay now, Dana."

"Water," she managed to get out, and he nodded. Standing up, he walked over to the sink, grabbed a paper cup, and, after filling it with water, moved back to sit down beside her and handed it to her.

Her eyes never left him as he moved about the room. When she took the cup from him, she immediately brought it to her lips and drained it in one gulp. Then she cleared her throat. "Where am I?"

"Northeast Georgetown Medical Center. Washington DC. November 2nd, 1994. I...I asked the TARDIS to take me where we needed to go. And she brought us here. I'm guessing you live nearby."

She nodded very slowly. "Yeah. I live in DC. Part of the job description." When he gave her a confused look, a hint of a smile appeared on her lips. "It's Special Agent Scully now. I work for the FBI. At least, I did before..." The smile faded, and she trailed off.

"Do you know what...happened to you?" he asked haltingly. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, her brow furrowing. After a long silence, she shook her head.

"I was kidnapped by a former agent. He was delusional. He had been shot in the head a few years ago, and it destroyed the moral center of his brain. He was convinced that he was following the orders of extraterrestrials. After he took me...I can't remember anything else."

The Doctor reached out and squeezed her hand again. "Delusional or no...he may have been," he murmured. "I found you inside an alien vessel. It was obvious tests were being performed on you. The only thing is, the race that possessed the sort of ship I found you on is now extinct. So it was stolen. The only question is, what race committed the theft? I couldn't tell, I never got a good look at any other life form on it. The TARDIS just took off by herself, and after she landed, I opened the doors and there you were." He sighed. "Funnily enough, I knew it was you. You don't forget the face of the first person you see after you've died and come back to life."

Scully's mind was reeling with questions, not unlike when he had crash landed in her backyard twenty-three years ago. But some of them would have been a bad idea to ask. After a long pause, she settled on, "What about you? What happened?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Well, after I said goodbye to you, I realized that the engines on the Old Girl were phasing, and that she would burn up if I didn't do something. I jumped into the future to fix it. Went forward...twelve years, I think. But I found the house empty. Boarded up. So I decided I'd fix myself up and then go looking for you." He paused, clearing his throat. "I battered about the universe for a couple of weeks, fixing small mishaps here and there, when she took off by herself. And the rest, as they say, is history." She chuckled at his remark and subsequent smirk.

Then, Scully sighed. "I believed you at first, you know. Right after you left. In the morning, I tried to tell my family about it, and they told me I had a very vivid imagination. I remember Mom smiling and saying that my imaginary friend sounded like a nice person. And after a while, I convinced myself that I had dreamed the whole thing. That it was the product of a child's overactive imagination. I convinced myself that aliens and UFOs and flying phone booths didn't exist. Yet...here you are."

He grinned. "Indeed I am. And I intend to keep my promise. If you'd like me to, that is."

"I'd like some proof of this, Doctor. Then maybe I'll decide."

"If it's proof you want, then proof you shall have, _Agent Scully_. Oh, I like the sound of that. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" When she gave him a half-smile and shrugged, he continued. "I already made sure your family was contacted. You were on file here, so that wasn't difficult. I should leave before they arrive- the less people who know about me, the better. As far as your family is concerned, I'm still just your imaginary friend." When she opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off. "I helped you some, but you're still in relatively bad shape, Dana. You need time to recover. Tell you what..."

He reached into his pocket, fishing for something. With an "a-ha" he removed what he had been looking for- a set of yellow post-it notes and a pen. He scribbled something onto one of the post-its and peeled it off, handing it to her. "When you've been discharged, call me. Give me a date, time, and location, and I'll come and get you. Preferably somewhere discreet, if you don't mind. As I said, the less attention I draw to myself, the better."

Scully stayed silent for several moments, then blurted out, "You have a _phone_?"

The Doctor grinned, standing up. "Well, yeah. I fly a phone booth, don't I?" he teased. Then he moved to stand in the doorway, pushing the door open slightly. "See you around, Special Agent Dana Scully."

He winked.

Then, in a flourish, the door closed behind him, he walked down the hallway, and he was gone again. This time, when he was out of her sight, she laughed softly. "See you later, _Doctor_."

* * *

"Scully, I know you know who brought you to this hospital. The nurse says she saw you two talking. Why won't you give him up? Did he threaten you?"

Her partner's reckless concern for her was getting annoying. "No, Mulder. He only wanted me to know the identity of my rescuer. His face, I should say. He didn't tell me his name. Just that...whoever took me had been running tests on me. He...found me, Mulder. He's as clueless as I am as to how I wound up where I did after Duane Barry."

Melissa wasn't convinced, that she knew. "Dana, there's something you aren't telling us. Something involving a painful memory. A very old memory."

Scully sighed in frustration. "I had a lot of dreams, alright? Involving my imaginary friend. It's confusing to me. I don't know why I kept seeing him, and it just brought back a lot of things."

Her mother and sister nodded in understanding, but Mulder looked confused. "Imaginary friend? I didn't think you were the type of kid who had imaginary friends, Scully."

Maggie smiled. "When Dana was seven, she told us that a man crash landed his spaceship in our backyard while we were asleep. Came inside and asked for food. She said he looked like a normal man, but he was really an alien. I said-"

"Mom," she interrupted. "I don't think Mulder wants to know about this-"

"No, go on," Mulder replied, grinning. "This sounds like a good story."

"-I said, 'Dana, you have a very vivid imagination.' And she insisted that it was true for the longest time. Said that he promised her he'd come back and take her with him when she was older. It went on for a year, at least."

Scully sighed, resisting the temptation to either bury her face in her hands in embarrassment or punch that stupid grin off of Mulder's face. "So, you know how it feels to not be believed, and yet you never believe me," he drawled.

"Shut up, Mulder," she snapped. Of course, he didn't. "I have a theory. Your imaginary friend is very, _very_ real, and he rescued you."

"Fox," Melissa chided. "Don't."

Mulder shrugged. "Okay, fine. She can tell the truth when she feels like it. And it's Mulder, not Fox."

 _God, Mulder, you're going to be the death of me_ , she thought to herself. _If I don't kill you first._

* * *

Mulder was in a much better mood as he headed back to his office. Scully was back and recovering, and he had something he could hold over her head for the rest of their lives. _The skeptic with an alien for an imaginary friend._ He'd said what he had about her rescuer partly to tease her, and partly because it could have been possible.

He found himself humming as he unlocked the door to their office, and found someone already sitting in his chair. A knowing smirk was on her face. She'd been expecting him.

"Do you want ta tell your partner about the pencils in the ceiling, or should I?"

Mulder grinned. "When it comes to timing, you really know how to take the cake...Bad Wolf. And I've got quite the story for you."

* * *

 _Three Days Later…_

Scully held her breath as the dial tone reverberated against her ear. Then the click of someone picking up a receiver.

" _Hello?"_

"Doctor. It's, uh...it's me. Dana Scully."

" _Dana! Blimey, hello! It's been about a week for me. What about you?"_

"Three days," she replied, smiling to herself. "I'm out of the hospital now. I don't know what you did to fix me up, but I just might have to thank you for it."

A slight laugh. _"Always happy to be of service,"_ he said breezily. _"Now, I'm assuming you're calling to set up a meeting?"_

She nodded. "Yeah." She gave him a date, time, and location before changing the subject. "By the way, nobody but my family calls me Dana. And only my superiors call me 'Agent'."

He replied, puzzled, _"Well, what_ do _I call you, then?"_

She chuckled. "Scully. Just call me Scully. Everyone else does, and it's kind of stuck. Especially ever since Mulder started using it."

" _Mulder?"_ the Doctor repeated, confused. _"Who is that?"_

"My partner," Scully replied. "In the FBI. When we meet up, I'll tell you more."

And when Scully arrived at the agreed meeting place a day afterwards, the first thing she heard was the harsh wheezing noise that would become pleasantly familiar to her, and a blue phone booth faded into view a few feet in front of her. Standing upright this time, she noticed.

Smiling, the Doctor opened the front door to the- he had called it the TARDIS. His spaceship and time machine. He stood just in front of it, and beckoned for her to come closer. "Welcome to the TARDIS...Scully."

* * *

 **(A/N: Scully becomes the Doctor's companion! Ironic that the skeptic meets the alien and not the believer, right? And that aside, Scully needs someone to bitch about Mulder to. Because let's be real here- Mulder is a lovable dork, but also an insufferable annoyance. Especially to his partner.)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Plans and Preparations

* * *

Mulder grinned, taking in the sight of the snarky, smiling blonde seated in his office chair. On his desk were what appeared to be two cartons of Chinese takeout. "How nice of you to finally show up," he drawled.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm a very busy woman, mister," she teased. "Forgive me if I can't show up and be your mother every five minutes. I'm trying to help you on top of myself. We both have problems that'll require quite a bit of work to solve, you know."

Mulder raised an eyebrow, crossed over to the desk. "Out of respect, I won't ask. But, uh...any leads?"

She shook her head. "Nothing since the UFO that was shot down by that jet this spring. I managed to get a look at it, but by the time I did, the wreckage had been picked clean. Nothing was there that could give me any clues about the alien species, and there was no way to know for sure if any humans had been taken." Rose sighed. "'M sorry about...that friend of yours. Your contact. I found out what happened to him."

"Who, Deep Throat?" Mulder asked. When she nodded, he sighed and continued. "Yeah, he was...actually not all that bad, to be honest with you. Although his last words were a little...alarming."

Rose's eyes widened and she tilted her head, curious. "What were they?"

"Trust no one," he replied, then picked up the carton of takeout closest to him. "You read my mind, by the way. How about I fill you in on everything else that's happened while we eat?"

He pulled out a chair, sat down across from her, and told her about every case he'd worked since he'd last seen her- he'd gotten a brief glimpse of her at the UFO wreckage site. He told her of the faith healer, the werewolf. The insect swarm and Eugene Tooms. Roland Fuller and Arthur Grable, the alien DNA samples. Deep Throat's death, the X-Files' shutdown, and the tape containing the signals from space. Rose nearly recoiled when he told her of the half man, half liver fluke that lived in the sewers.

And then there was the story of Scully's abduction. He recounted- in painful detail- Duane Barry's insanity, Alex Krycek's betrayal, the disappearance of Scully and Barry's subsequent death. The way she miraculously reappeared in a Georgetown hospital three months later.

Rose held onto his hand and squeezed it reassuringly when he described Scully being taken. She didn't let go of him until he sighed and moved away from her. "But now, Scully's okay. The only thing that I don't understand is, a man apparently rescued her and then proceeded to show her his face. And Scully won't tell me a thing about who he was- I know that she knows, no matter what she says. I'm worried someone might be threatening her into keeping it secret."

Rose sighed and gave him a sympathetic look. "I don't blame you for wanting to protect her- we all have a friend that has a habit of almost dying. But I don't think you'll be able to make her tell you."

Mulder nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I know. I just don't want her to go the way of Deep Throat, or anything similar."

"I can understand that," she replied, smiling. "And I do have a bit of good news. Well, it's kind of a mix of good and bad news, but anyway, it's something you need to know."

Mulder gave her an inquiring look. "Go ahead and spill, then."

"Well, I know that a lot of the roadblocks we've been encountering are put in place by someone in the FBI. Someone higher up, who can supervise your division if he or she wants to."

Mulder nodded. "Yeah, I know who it is. I don't know his name, but I always called him the Smoking Man. Because he smokes like a damn chimney. All the time. And I know he's behind a lot of the obstacles, but I can't prove it."

Rose gave him a wry smirk. "Perhaps not, but _I_ could. Seeing as I've gained access to all sorts of tech over the years, I can document things very discreetly. I have cameras the size of a pinhead that go completely undetected by metal detectors. Microphones that can fit beneath your fingernail. I'm prepared."

Mulder looked very impressed at that. "So you're going to give me some of this stuff so I can spy on our chain-smoking friend?"

She shook her head. "No. You see, Fox, you need someone on your side. Someone who can talk their way out of anything and weasel their way around rules and systems and data and spies. You need another partner."

"I don't under-"

She raised an eyebrow at him and grinned. "I'm going undercover. A few days from now, you'll have a new Special Agent working with you on the X-Files."

His mouth fell open. "You're kidding. You're kidding me, right?"

Rose shook her head. "Nope. See, I have some friends that are very good at what they do- namely, the location, creation, spreading, or hiding of information. They've just finished creating a very elaborate paper trail for me. In the eyes of the law, Rose Marion Tyler was born in London in 1967, moved to America eighteen years later and became a legal citizen, and graduated from Harvard at the top of her class with a bachelor's degree in criminology in 1990. I have all the skills and more that come with that degree, don't worry. I-"

"I know that, Rose," Mulder said, smirking. "You're a natural detective- you once solved a homicide in five minutes. And you can talk the skin off a cat in more languages than I've heard of. You're excellent at hand-to-hand combat. Remember the time you kicked the crap out of that mugger that held the both of us at gunpoint when I was sixteen? He probably _still_ has nightmares about it. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually did study criminology, or at least some kind of forensics."

Rose grinned and rolled her eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere. Now, as I was saying, I graduated on paper in 1990. Was recruited out of uni into the FBI Academy and worked as an intelligence analyst. Very recently, however, I underwent additional training and became a special agent. Tomorrow, I receive new credentials and get assigned to work with you. The only minor problem might be I don't actually have my current credentials on me, but I'll think of something." She underscored that statement with a sly wink.

Mulder's eyes widened, impressed. "That's elaborate. Hopefully you've done your homework."

"Oh, I have," she replied. "I've been alive for over three centuries, Mulder. Tha's plenty of time to 'do my homework', as it were. Relax."

He chuckled. "I _am_ relaxed. One thing's for sure- our, ah, _friend_ won't stand a chance against you."

Rose nodded, still grinning slyly. "You don't mess with the Bad Wolf."

* * *

Scully watched, wide-eyed, as the Doctor stepped away from the TARDIS and moved closer to her. When he took note of her expression, he smirked. "You, uh...you all right there, Scully?"

She blinked, then nodded slowly. "I'm fine. It's just...a lot to take in."

He chuckled. "Scully, you haven't seen anything yet. Wait till I show you what's inside."

Scully raised an eyebrow. "Think we'll both be able to fit in there?" she said sarcastically.

"Scully, Scully, Scully..." he murmured, sighing. "Don't you remember what I told you?" She opened her mouth to reply, but he waved his hand dismissively before she could say anything. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'll just show you."

Grinning, he beckoned for her to follow him. "Come along, Scully. Oh, I like that," he said, half to himself as they walked back towards the TARDIS. She rolled her eyes.

Then the Doctor opened the TARDIS' front door, and Scully's jaw dropped. He chuckled, pulling her inside. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Once they were in, he turned around and pushed the door shut. Scully said nothing, just continued to look around the room, wide-eyed. She walked around the console room in a slow circle and stopped at the center, taking in the details.

Stark, clean walls with tiny lights embedded in them. Several sets of staircases going up and spiraling. One going down below the glass-like floor she was standing on. An odd sort of "table" that Scully assumed was a control console, covered in buttons and levers. A small screen was attached to a disk overhead. A light glowed in the center of the tube that stuck out of the center of the console.

"Wow..." she finally got out, turning back around to face the Doctor. "This place...it's bigger on the inside. Just like you said."

He nodded, grinning. "Oh, yes. Love it when they say that!"

Scully tilted her head in confusion. "I'm sorry...'they'?" In response, the Doctor smirked. "Scully, I've been alive for a long time. Over twelve hundred years. I've traveled with a lot of people. Men, women, aliens...even a little robotic dog that liked to call me 'Master'. And all of them, while being very different from one another, have said the same thing: 'It's bigger on the inside'. Hearing that never gets old."

That stunned her into silence for a moment, then she raised her eyebrow, asking "A robotic dog? What, was that your pet or something?"

He laughed softly. "You know what, Dana Scully? I like you. You ask all the questions I never expected to be asked. It's nice." He cleared his throat. "But, yes, I built a robotic dog. Called him K9. Anyway-"

"-How does it work?" Scully asked, cutting him off. "The whole 'bigger on the inside' thing." Before he could answer, she said, "Is it some sort of technology? Or another dimension?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her in surprise. "Yes to both of those questions. Wow, that's clever. Yeah, it's what's called transdimensional technology. Pretty basic, where I come from. It's a sort of...pocket dimension. The interior is in another dimension as opposed to the exterior."

Scully nodded, a small smile appearing on her face to show that she understood. "I like it," she finally said, glancing around the room once more. "Interesting design."

Suddenly, a low hum sounded throughout the room, and the Doctor laughed. "She likes you too, Scully."

"She?" Scully echoed, turning around to study the console. She heard the Doctor coming closer, and he stopped right next to her.

"Yeah. She's sentient. Thinks. I can talk to and for her, because I can understand her. I hear her up here," he said, smiling and tapping his forehead with an index finger. "Telepathy."

"That's...pretty cool," she said slowly, and he nodded. "That it is."

Scully glanced up at the ceiling. "Um...hi. I'm assuming you can hear me."

There was another hum, and the light closest to her flickered. The Doctor laughed again, a look of delight on his face. "She says hello. And wants me to let you know you're the first person besides me to talk to her in about three hundred years. She appreciates it."

Scully smiled, looking back at him. That was when she got a good look at him for the first time since she was a little kid- she hadn't paid that much mind in the hospital, considering she had been fairly out of it. "Nice outfit," she said sarcastically, raising a brow when her eyes landed on his bow tie. "Do all members of your species dress like they're pretending to be professors?"

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Scully. Bow ties are cool." In response, she shrugged halfheartedly, smirking. "If you don't mind me asking...what species are you? What's your, ah...race called?"

"Time Lord," he replied, and she scoffed. Her voice radiated sarcasm as she said, "Totally not pompous at all."

The Doctor chuckled. "Oi, I didn't make the rules, alright?" he said in a soft voice. "Broke a lot of them, though. I've got a bit of a rebellious streak." Then he clapped his hands together. "Right. Now, as I told you when you were little, the Old Girl here can travel through both time and space. I could go to Pluto five thousand years in the future and come back here five minutes later. Someone comes with me, I do my best to make sure they aren't missed." He paused, clearing his throat. "I haven't got anyone else traveling with me right now, and I'm rubbish on my own. So..." the Doctor grinned at her. "You still haven't given me your answer."

Scully sighed, shrugged. "People talk about once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and tell you not to waste them. But I doubt they have traveling through time and space with an alien in mind when they say that, even though it would go on that list." Then she chuckled. "I always thought there was no such thing as extraterrestrials. But you proved me wrong." She paused for a brief moment. "I think I'd like to know what else I'm wrong about," she concluded, smiling up at him. "Wouldn't hurt anyone."

The Doctor grinned in response. "Well, that settles it, then. Oh, except for one thing. You have to pick a destination."He paused, drew in a breath. Scully saw the mischief dancing in his eyes as he asked, smiling, "All of time and space, everything that's ever happened or ever will...where do you wanna start?"

She laughed as she thought about his question. There were so many places she was curious about, historical periods she had always wanted to visit...and now, she could. It would be impossible to decide...

Finally, though, she said, "How about the future?"

* * *

 **(A/N: Sorry this took so long! I had a bit of a mental block to work through. I finally made myself sit down and write it all out, and this was the result. Hope you liked it, and leave a review if you did!)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Traveling and Learning

* * *

They didn't go right away- all travel requires preparation. The first thing that the Doctor did was take Scully back to her apartment (she gave him the address), so that she could pack a bag of things to take with her. Once she had done that, the Doctor removed the TARDIS from their location into something called the Time Vortex, which he explained allowed the TARDIS to travel in and out of timelines and planets.

Scully finally decided on going a century forward, to the year 2094. Despite the Doctor saying it was "a bit boring", she shrugged him off with the argument that she wouldn't live to see it, which made it interesting enough to her.

They wandered through the streets of an almost unrecognizable New York- for some reason the TARDIS had landed them there- while the Doctor filled her in on nearly everything that would take place between her time and the current year they were in- or, at least, he tried. He talked very fast and tended to rush through topics. But she caught on to some of it. Humans growing more suspicious about alien life in the early 20th century, and finally accepting the existence of it around twenty years later. Technological advancement, climate change, and political turmoil. Normal parts of history.

He treated her to a meal and even bought her a necklace he saw her eyeing in a storefront. When she asked him why, he shrugged and said he wanted to make her first trip memorable. Scully laughed at that- going 100 years into the future was memorable enough.

After a few hours, they found themselves running. A group of intimidating-looking people tried to rob them, and so they fled the scene after the Doctor's attempts at talking down the muggers proved ineffective.

"There's going to be a lot of this," he warned as they took off down the sidewalk. "I've been running my entire life, no matter where or when I am. If you want to travel with me, be prepared for a plenty of running."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm in shape, then," Scully replied, grinning. _I'm going crazy_ , she thought to herself. _This is_ completely _insane, and yet...I'm enjoying it._

When their pursuers finally gave up, the Doctor and Scully found themselves laughing breathlessly in the middle of the sidewalk, which earned them a few odd looks from passersby. Filled with adrenaline, exhilaration, and the sheer excitement that came with being in the future, Scully realized she couldn't keep herself from smiling, even when she tried. "That was...fun! I mean, I know we were being chased, but...I still enjoyed this."

The Doctor grinned at her- she was beginning to notice he grinned a lot. "I think that you and I have a lot more in common than either of us have realized," he said, and she nodded, replying, "Well, for starters, we're both doctors." When he gave her a confused look, she explained, "I went to med school. I just chose to study forensic medicine, which is one of the reasons why I'm an FBI agent."

"Ah, that explains it," he replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "Just so you're aware...I'm not that kind of doctor. It's just a name I chose. But we do have the title in common."

As they walked back to the TARDIS, Scully brought up something she suddenly remembered- she wanted to know what he meant when he had said he "died and came back to life." In turn, he explained regeneration to her- new body and face in order to cheat death. When he was done explaining, she said, "So _that's_ how you've lived this long." He shrugged. "That and...other reasons."

He was silent the rest of the way, and as a result, so was Scully. She only broke that silence when they were safely back in the Time Vortex. A heavy mood had hung in the air, so she tried to make light of the situation.

Chuckling, she said, "You know...you bought me dinner _and_ a necklace while accompanying me on a trip. Where I'm from-" she paused, smirked at him. "You could almost call it a date." Then she realized what she said could have been construed as something other than a joke. "Not that I am, it's just..." she shrugged. "I'm not flirting with you. Just joking around a little."

The Doctor smiled for the first time since he told her of regeneration, though Scully could see a flicker of pain in his eyes. Then he chuckled. "Good. I, ah...I don't do that. Flirt, I mean."

"Or date, I'm guessing," she replied, and he nodded. That was the one thing she resolved not to ask why about- some questions were too personal. It was none of her business. "Yeah, me neither. I'm kind of married to the job."

He grinned. "That reminds me...you never did tell me about what you do in the FBI."

Scully raised an eyebrow at him. "You really wanna hear about that?" When he nodded, she continued. "Okay, but I'm warning you, you might find it a little boring."

"Well, it's not something I do for a living, which...makes it interesting enough to me," he replied, giving her a knowing, mischevious grin.

The Doctor was right- they had more in common than they knew. So she started talking.

* * *

"Wow, so...there was really a half man, half fluke worm, eh...thing, in the sewers? That's equal parts fascinating, terrifying, and plain disgusting." From her place directly across from him on the console room floor, Scully could see a mix of all three of those emotions on his face.

She chuckled. "Yeah, it was. But, anyway..."

Her words were cut off when she yawned. "Man, I'm tired," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Mind if I go get some sleep and finish this story in the morning?"

He shrugged. "If you need sleep, you need sleep. Go on ahead; the TARDIS should have a room ready for you. And don't worry about me- I can entertain myself for a few hours. I don't need to rest as much- superior biology. I'll probably be out here when you wake up."

She nodded, rose to her feet. "Okay. Well, uh...goodnight."

When she was alone in her room, sleep about to overtake her, the last thing Scully thought was, _I could almost get used to_ _doing_ _this._

* * *

Scully walked into the console room, phone in hand. She barely heard the Doctor's cheerful, "Morning, Scully," as she messed with her cell phone's antenna. "No service. Guess I should've expected that."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, then crossed over and took the phone out of her hand. "Hey-"

He shook his head, silencing her protests. "Hold on, I'm fixing it." He removed the battery from its case, and pulled a metal object out from his jacket. It lit up green and made a slight humming noise as he ran it over the cell phone. "There. Just a bit of tinkering is all it needed. You should be able to use it no matter where we are now."

"What is that?" she asked, focusing on the tool in his hand. The Doctor smirked. "It's called a sonic screwdriver. Does a lot of things for me- it can open doors, sort out technical issues, and shut down machines, to name a few functions. It's good to have."

Scully's eyes widened. "So it's not just a screwdriver." When he shook his head, she continued. "I'll bet I could really make good use of one of those."

He chuckled. "Well, as of right now, this is the only one in existence, but maybe I can arrange something. It was never a very common device to begin with, though. Mainly because I invented it."

She raised a brow at him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were bragging. But thanks for fixing my phone. I should probably-"

She was cut off when her phone suddenly started ringing. Sighing, she pressed the button to answer it and brought it to her ear. "Scully."

" _Scully, it's me. Listen, Skinner wants us both to come in right now. Says there's something important he needs to talk with us about."_

Scully let out an annoyed huff. "Mulder, what did you do _this_ time?"

" _I don't know, Scully. But he wants both of us in by 8:30 this morning, so you better be ready. You've got an hour."_

She sighed. "Alright. See you then." With that, she hung up. Then she turned to the Doctor. "Well, I think we may have to cut this short. I know the time travel aspect would keep me from being missed, but my boss needs me at headquarters by 8:30 AM. It's supposed to be important."

The Doctor nodded in understanding. "All right. Well, I won't stop you from doing your job. Have you still got my number?" She nodded, and he kept talking. "Good. If you like, you can keep your luggage here until you get back. Once you're not busy, just give me a call and I'll come get you."

Scully smiled. "There might be a lot of this, too. Running back home to deal with work."

He shrugged. "That's alright. Now, let's get you home, shall we?"

* * *

Scully kept her head up as she walked towards Skinner's office. When she was almost there, Mulder caught up with her. "Hiya, Scully," he teased, grinning. She rolled her eyes.

"Mulder, if we're in trouble because of some crazy stunt you pulled, I swear to God-"

Mulder smirked. "Promise you won't hate me forever if we end up getting drawn and quartered?"

She gave him a stern look. "I make no promises, Mulder."

He held the door open for her as she went in, still grinning annoyingly at her. She ignored him.

When Scully entered her superior's office, she was greeted with a surprising sight.

Skinner wasn't the only one in the room. Standing in front of his desk, looking both serious and apprehensive, was a blonde woman she'd never seen before. She was dressed like any other agent- simple business suit and flat shoes. Her long hair was tied back in a bun, and small silver rings hung from her ears. She smiled warmly at them, though she was biting her lip- a nervous tic, Scully could tell.

Skinner spoke up once they had entered the room and clicked the door shut. "Agents. I'd like you to meet someone." He gestured to the blonde girl. "This is Rose Tyler, former intel analyst turned special agent." He glanced at Rose, then motioned towards Scully and Mulder. "Agent Tyler, these are Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully."

Agent Tyler smiled. "Hello. Lovely to meet you."

 _Odd_ , Scully thought to herself. _She's English. Has the accent, anyway._

Even so, she nodded and smiled in what she hoped was a friendly manner. "Nice to meet you too, Agent. You're new here?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Officially got transferred yesterday."

Skinner turned to them and spoke up again, nodding in agreement with the agent's words. "Yes. Agent Tyler here did very well, so I'm told. She requested from her former superior to work in the X-Files division, and he granted that request. So, as a result, you both have another partner. I wanted to introduce you." He glanced over at Agent Tyler again. "There's a new desk for you in their office. Everybody head downstairs," he ordered. "You've got a new case to work on."

* * *

 **(A/N: Yay for double updates [sort of]! This chapter is kind of short, but the cutoff point was appropriate. Next chapter will be longer, I promise. It's a rewrite of the episode Firewalker. I hoped that you liked the whole bit with the Doc and Scully, by the way- they'd be great friends, and I plan on writing that. Platonic relationships are actually really fun to write. And, best of all, Rose Tyler is undercover as an FBI agent now, working to unearth a conspiracy! [Good for her.] The real question is, how long before Scully gets suspicious?)**


End file.
